What is the meaning of “kekw” on Twitch chat? Exploring the gaming meme’s legendary status

Kekw has become an integral part of Twitch's meme culture (Image via Sportskeeda)
Kekw has become an integral part of Twitch's meme culture (Image via Sportskeeda)

Kekw is one of the most popular memes that are a part of Twitch chat culture.

Twitch is an industry of memes that has given rise to slang like Pogchamp, MonkaS and Poggers. There have even been instances of people who became famous since their faces turned into a meme and Twitch incorporated it into their chat culture.

There is an interesting origin story behind how “kekw” became an integral part of Twitch’s meme list.

Looking for Crossword hints & solutions? Check out latest NYT Mini Crossword Answers, LA Times Crossword Answers, and USA Today Crossword Answers


The origin of “kekw” and its growth into Twitch culture

Kekw is primarily used in cases when people notice something hilarious. Viewers often respond by spamming the word when a professional player is involved in a misplay or if a streamer does something stupid. In truth, kekw is basically an alternative of “lol” or laugh out loud. The origin of kekw is related to a comedian by the name Juan Joya Borja. He is a spanish personality and his video on Youtube went viral on account of a contagious laugh.

The entire video is in Spanish and people took this as an opportunity to create memes with varying subtitles. Juan Borja's face became a representation of kekw as both of them indicated laughter. Kekw is basically a composition of two parts namely “Kek” and “W”. Kek is a Korean equivalent to “lol” or CIS version of “XIAXIAXIA”.

The letter “W” on the other hand is basically a means to showcase an exaggerated facial expression on Twitch chat, and the combination of the two results in “kekw”. The word primarily gained prevalence in 2019, when two of the biggest memers on Twitch, namely Admiral Bulldog and xQc began using it on a regular basis. Since then, the word has exponentially grown in popularity and continues to be used today.

Several Twitch users consider ekw to be much more than a meme. This word has given rise to other memes like Omegalul and lulz. However, kekw still remains the crowned king amongst every other meme that indicates laughter or is a response to stupidity.

Are you stuck on today's Wordle? Our Wordle Solver will help you find the answer.

Edited by Siddharth Satish
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications